A QUARTER CENTURY EXPERIENCE OF CROP PRODUCTIVITY TRENDS IN BANGLADESH: IMPLICATIONS FOR A FUTURE STRATEGY

To fill the general caveat of dearth of crop productivity trend studies covering for a longer period of almost a quarter century, the present study has been undertaken. This is more imperative when the government is preparing fifth five year plan documents and launching programmes to implement the plan. Productivity of a crop reflects attainment in technological advance over time. Productivity trend analyses of the crops for the last quarter century of Bangladesh reveal a dismal picture of slowing down of HYV rices. Some yield increases have occurred for local variety of rice through concentration of cultivation in most suitable land areas. A few crops like potato, lentil, mungbean and chilli exhibited up turning trends in productivity onwards the eighties or from the middle half of the eighties. Jute yield level increased, sugarcane and wheat yields have fallen. Yields of slow growth crops like garlic, groundnut, barley and sesamum have remained stagnated. However, in general, no perceptible productivity increase has taken place for any crop over the last quarter century of crop sector growth